My approach
“I would dare to guess that most individuals seeking support services are not only seeking solace and relief, but a deeper desire to dig up the bones… to excavate - to have a Guide, so to speak, to lead them Home.”
— Jennifer Mullan
Core philosophy
You make sense.
You make sense.
This simple three word sentence is at the core of who I am as a therapist. I think you make sense. I think how you respond to the world around you makes sense. I think what you feel makes sense. In the context of you as a human, based on your environment and history, you make complete sense.
So much of therapy as an institution is focused on pathologizing rather than normalizing.
In my work as a therapist, we look at first and foremost normalizing your experience, your feelings, you in general. That happens through psychoeducation, validation, active listening, perspective taking. When that normalization seeps in, radical space is opened up for deeper work - identifying patterns you have been living, looking for places to alleviate suffering, connecting you back to yourself and others around you.
It is truly a work of excavating and returning back to who you are, to who you have always been. A process of witnessing, shedding, and blooming.
How I work
In our sessions together, my main goal is to create an emotionally safe environment for you to explore yourself in the entirety of your human experience: emotional, physical, mental, social, spiritual.
While the specifics are tailored to each individual, I frequently pull from Interpersonal Neurobiology, Polyvagal Theory, Systems Theory and Attachment Theory. I believe systems have a tremendous impact on our individual and collective functioning, and I believe a lot of our suffering has to do with systems of oppression and the demands they place on us.
In our sessions, we will work on connecting with your emotions and feelings with the goal of increasing self-awareness, self-kindness and your ability to tolerate distressing emotions and states. We will pay close attention to what comes up, what is hard to talk about, what is angering, what is confusing. This can help us pinpoint and explore the ways you experience relationships and how others see you in return.
Neurodivergence-led
& affirming
Decolonial,
anti-supremacist,
anti-oppressive
Disability and
chronic illness friendly
Sex, kink & fat positive
Video features Yuliya in an interior space with colorful pillows and thinly-leafed green plants next to them, against a white wall. They are wearing aquamarine short sleeved-shirt and have short brown hair.
Story. Relationship. Embodiment.
To learn more about my healing model and how it influences my approach to working with clients, watch the video below.
Are we a good fit?
We may be a good fit if you are looking for a therapist who:
Uses a less structured, more depth-oriented approach
Works toward exploring relational dynamics, rather than building cognitive skills
Is collaborative and interactive, rather than prescriptive
Creates space for you to feel and think, rather than gives advice
Specializes primarily in complex and relational trauma and late identified/diagnosed autism & ADHD
You may want to seek someone else if you are looking for:
Structured approach or a therapist that constantly asks questions/generates content for you
Skills-building modality, such as CBT, DBT or EMDR
A provider that bills insurance, provides a superbill or single case agreements
Treatment for a specific mental health diagnosis that I do not specialize in
Please note my practice does not provide crisis services and I am unavailable to provide support outside of our scheduled sessions.
Specializations
I am a narrative, relational, psychodynamic therapy practitioner, with a focus on treating trauma & abuse.
I am a Certified Body Trust® Provider.
Interested in connecting?
Let’s schedule a free 15-20 minute consultation as a way to assess if we are a good fit, and give you a chance to ask questions and connect.
“there are feelings.
you haven’t felt yet.
give them time.
they are almost here.
– fresh”
— Nayyirah Waheed